Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
I am so not a driver that "uses her mirrors". I simply do not trust them. I always look over my shoulder or glance behind me when I change lanes or maneuver in traffic. I watch my daddy and my husband (both truck drivers) and I always watch how they use their mirrors continuously when driving. They back up, maneuver, and adjust according to what appears in their mirrors. Call it my worrisome nature if you like, but I glance, recheck, and check again instead of looking in that rear view or side mirror.
You know the inscription. All side mirrors have them. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. It's funny how God uses little things, seemingly insignificant things, such as these, to help me gather my thoughts and instill direction for my blog. This was the final observation to my puzzle today. I'll get to the mirrors later...
This weekend has been a difficult one. I've had a lot of emotion about so many things. I needed a day to zone out. A day to think and process.The day started with a soccer game in the rain and then Camdyn and I retreated to taking a 2 and a half hour nap this afternoon. Her only request today was a trip to Sweet Frog...who could say no to that? Little did I know that simple trip would spark a story, an inspiration, a realization of all I had been feeling and transform it into a blog post.
When we sat down to enjoy our cookies and cream (topped with nothing less than brownie bites of course!), Camdyn said, "Mom, thanks for bringing me to Sweet Frog. I couldn't have done it without you!" I giggled. This is a new quote from her. She never ceases to amaze me. Seconds later, I glanced over to the cash register and read the dry erase board positioned on the wall. I have always loved the moral basis that Sweet Frog has based their company on. The Christian principles it displays in their buildings, and the inspirational verses they post throughout each chain of their business. Today's verse was 2 Corinthians 5:17. Camdyn's words from seconds before lingered as I read this verse. I am made new in Christ because of my acceptance of him. The old passes away and I.am.new. "I couldn't have done it without you"...Camdyn's words said it all in that moment. I couldn't have done a lot of things without Jesus as my personal savior. I couldn't have left behind my sin, my struggles, my old life, without him.
On my drive home, I noticed the words in that side view mirror on my van. I wondered why I pondered on them for so long. I thought it seemed strange at that specific moment, as I drove, that I would linger so long on a silly mirror. "Courtney, you need to get more sleep", I thought. You are paying way too much attention to weird things like mirrors. Little did I know,those words would come back to me after I got home.
I wanted to look more at this verse, so when I got home I immediately read into this scripture more. I began to wonder about the nature of sin. When I am recreated in Christ does this mean that our sin is passed away? No. None of us can live a perfected life free of sin, but as we mature as Christians, we feel the pain of guilt when we sin, we grow to hate our sin and it's ugliness. We are however no longer in bondage or enslaved into our sin, but can be washed by his blood and continually made new by asking forgiveness. I, as a lowly sinner, can receive the gift of being forgiven not just once, but seven times seventy! Does this mean we should sin and not worry about it? No. It's not a free pass to sin. As a Christian, we should feel the remorse and the sting of our sins. Learn from them and vow to be closer to God and strive to make the right choices and decisions in our lives,to keep the devil away and our sin far away. Habitual sin, shouldn't be established in our lives at all. As a new creature in Christ, there is no room for habitual sin. That is a totally different post altogether...but...
Back to that mirror...how often do we look in those mirrors of our life? Are the objects in them closer than they appear? I find myself sometimes looking back and seeing the sins in my past, some do seem closer than they appear at first glance. Some try to creep closer and closer back into our lives. But it's just that. It's behind us. It's the past. God created us, when we turned our lives over to him, into brand new creatures. New and clean! Free from the bondage of sin. If we fail, we can ask forgiveness and start new! A clean slate.
I was so blessed by the messages God sent me this evening. I am thankful that I am free from my old life and can walk with Jesus as a free spirit. A spirit free from chains or shackles of sin. I am also thankful that others can do this as well. I felt compelled to share this blog tonight, because I know others are struggling with the bondage of sin. If you are made new in Christ, it doesn't have to be that way. You can be forgiven and accept Christ's forgiveness and love. He can wrap his arms around you and give you new life, new insight, a new self.